The pillar “Global challenges and European industrial competitiveness” is organised into thematic clusters that will host projects aimed at strengthening technological and industrial capabilities. Each cluster will adopt its own work programme with topics divided into “destinations”. The cross-cutting drivers of each cluster are undoubtedly the green and digital transitions. The six clusters are:

1. Health
2. Culture, creativity and inclusive societies
3. Civil security for society
4. Digital, industry and space
5. Climate, energy and mobility
6. Food products, natural resources, agriculture and the environment

The Missions

A new feature of the Horizon Europe Programme is the “Missions”, actions that fund specific projects based on a results-oriented approach. Pillar 2 includes five Missions with ambitious objectives that aim to develop solutions to some of the most important European and global challenges of our time:

• Adaptación al cambio climático, incluida la transformación social
• Cancer
• Cities that are climate-neutral and smart
• Oceani, mari, acque costiere e interne sani
• Health of the soil and food

Partnerships

Partnerships, linked to clusters by theme, remain fundamental in the 2021-2027 programme and are the focus of a rationalisation exercise. The number has been reduced from over 100 to 49, with a classification that divides partnerships into three categories:

• Co-programmed European Partnerships;
• Co-funded European Partnerships using a programme co-fund action;
• Institutionalised European Partnerships.

Pillar 2 has a budget of €53.517 billion, approximately 56% of the total budget.

New European Bauhaus (NEB) Facility

In addition to the six clusters, in 2025 the European Commission published the Work Programme of the New European Bauhaus Facility. This is a multi-year initiative that cuts across the six clusters of Pillar II (2025–2027), aimed at regenerating European neighbourhoods through projects focused on sustainability and inclusion. The instrument will support sustainable transformation interventions in the construction sector, promoting the active participation of citizens as protagonists of change.

The NEB tool consists of two main components:

1. Research and Innovation (R&I) – This includes basic research, experimentation and demonstration activities, and will be integrated across Horizon Europe work programmes, with an indicative budget of €120 million per year for the three-year period 2025–2027.
2. Implementation (roll-out) – Aims to facilitate the adoption, dissemination and further development of knowledge, methodologies and technologies generated by the R&I component. It will also include actions carried out through other EU programmes, in line with the values and principles of the NEB.

Attached are the NEB Facility's 2025 Work Programme and the related fact sheet prepared by the Brussels delegation.